Young Adult Depression

In 2011, young adults (ages 18 to 29) living below the poverty line were twice as likely as those living at or above the poverty line to report suffering from two or more symptoms of depression in the past 30 days.

Importance

Young adulthood, defined here as between the ages of
18 and 29, is a time of great change for many people, and has been associated
with greater risk of mental health problems and higher levels of social stress.[1],[2]
The incidence of depression increases during adolescence and peaks in early
adulthood.[3]
While the causal picture is likely complex, unemployment and unrewarding job
environments, such as those characterized by few low-level cognitive demands,
minimal skills, and little autonomy (common features of many entry-level jobs),
have been linked with depression among young adults.[4],[5]
Among young men, higher job status is associated with lower levels of
depression, whereas, for women, physically dangerous jobs are associated with
higher levels of depression.[6]

In addition to changes connected with employment
and schooling, early adulthood is often a time when people marry or begin to
form families. While positive aspects of marriage often serve to protect
against depression, new financial burdens, career demands, a poor adjustment to
married life, and the birth of children among young couples can also lead to
negative mental health outcomes, especially among women.[7]
Maternal depression in particular can have adverse implications for children.
Children of depressed mothers are more likely to act out (exhibit externalizing
problem behaviors), perhaps due to depression's negative effects on parenting
practices.[8]
Finally, young adulthood coincides with the legal age for alcohol use. Young
adults who engage in frequent drinking, or who smoke cigarettes, are more
likely to experience depression.[9],[10]

Depression in adolescence is associated with
higher levels of depression[11] and
poorer health outcomes[12] in
young adulthood. Young adults who suffer from depression are more likely to
have problems with psychological functioning, interpersonal relationships,
employment, and substance abuse, and to be more dissatisfied with life.[13],[14]
They also show higher rates of absenteeism from work.[15]
Close relationships with mothers, and feeling accepted by parents during
adolescence, appear to be protective factors associated with a lower likelihood
of depression in early adulthood.[16]

Trends

The
share of young adults reporting symptoms of depression remained relatively
constant between 1998 and 2011 (between four and five percent among those 18 to
24, and between three and six percent among those 25 to 29). In 2011, four percent
of young adults ages 18 to 24, and five percent of adults ages 25 to 29,
reported experiencing two or more symptoms of depression in the past 30 days. (Figure 1)

Differences by Age

Overall, young adults ages 18 to 24 are not
significantly more likely than adults ages 25 to 29 to report depressive symptoms
. (Figure 1) However, within specific groups, the prevalence of depressive
symptoms increases with age. For example, among those in families receiving SNAP
benefits (food stamps), seven percent of 18- to 24-year olds reported
depressive symptoms, compared with 12 percent of 25- to 29-year olds. Due to
small sample sizes, the significance of age-differences in depressive symptoms
among TANF beneficiaries, and among people below the federal poverty line, cannot
be determined.
(Figure 2)

Differences by Poverty and Receipt of Public Assistance

Young adults living in families with income below
the poverty line, or whose families are receiving welfare or other benefits,
are more likely than their more affluent peers to suffer from depressive
symptoms. Among young adults 18 to 24 in 2011, seven percent of those living
below the poverty line reported two or more symptoms of depression, compared
with three percent of those living at or above the poverty line. Thirteen
percent of those with a family member receiving TANF benefits (welfare) showed
depressive symptoms, compared with four percent with no such family member. Among
those with a family member receiving SNAP benefits (food stamps), seven percent
showed depressive symptoms, compared with three percent with no family members
receiving SNAP benefits. These disparities persists among older young adults,
with nine percent of adults 25 to 29 living below poverty reporting symptoms of
depression, compared with four percent of those adults living at or above the
poverty line. In this age group, 12 percent of those in families receiving
SNAP benefits, and three percent in families that did not, showed symptoms of
depression. For those in families that received TANF 15 percent reported
depressive symptoms, compared with four percent of those in families that did not
receive TANF. (Figure 2)

Differences by Gender

Among 18- to 24-year-olds, females are more likely
than males to report symptoms of depression, a gap not found among 25-to 29-year-olds.
In 2011, five percent of women 18 to 24 reported depressive symptoms, compared
with three percent of men 18 to 24. (Figure 3)

Differences by Education Level

Young adults
with higher levels of education are less likely than other adults to suffer
from depression. In 2011, one percent of young adults 25 to 29 with at least a
bachelor's degree reported symptoms of depression, compared with six percent with
some college or an associate's degree, and nine percent with less than a high
school degree. There was no significant difference between young adults with a
high school diploma and those without in the prevalence of depressive symptoms.
(Figure 4)

Differences by Employment Status

Young adults who are working are less likely than
their unemployed peers to experience depression. The difference is more
pronounced among older young adults. In 2011, 18- to 24-year-olds who were not
working were somewhat more likely than those who were working to report
symptoms of depression (six and three percent, respectively). However, 25- to
29-year- olds who were not employed were almost four times as likely as their
working peers to report depressive symptoms (eleven and three percent,
respectively). (Figure 5) For 18- to 24-year- olds, this difference has
mostly remained constant over time, though showing some narrowing during times
of economic recession, presumably when the social stigma of being unemployed is
less (smaller gaps were between 2001 and 2002, and between 2008 and 2009). (Appendix 1) For 25- to 29-year-olds, the difference in depressive symptoms between
workers and non-workers increased between 1999 and 2007, but has stayed constant
since then. (Appendix 2)

Differences by Living Situation

In 2011, there were no significant differences in
depressive symptoms by type of living situation: whether the young adult lived
with their parents or not, and whether they were married, cohabitating with a
partner, or neither. Young adults ages 18 to 24 were slightly more likely to
show depressive symptoms if they were living with their own child, but this difference
was not apparent among 25- to 29-year-olds. (Appendix 1 and Appendix 2)

State and Local Estimates

None available.

International Estimates

None available.

National Goals

The federal government's Healthy People 2020
initiative has outlined a goal to decrease the proportion of adults who
experience a major depressive episode, and to increase the proportion of adults
with depression who receive treatment.

Also, see Child Trends' LINKS database
("Lifecourse Interventions to Nurture Kids Successfully"), for reviews of many
rigorously evaluated programs, including the following which have been shown to
be effective:

Note: Child Trends
does not provide medical advice or diagnosis. Readers are urged to consult
with a qualified health professional before embarking on any course of
treatment.

Definition

Young adults were considered to have
symptoms of depression if they responded "all of the time" or "most of the
time" to at least two of the following questions: During the past 30 days, how
often did you feel...

So
sad that nothing could cheer you up;

Nervous;

Restless
or fidgety;

Hopeless;

That
everything was an effort;

Worthless

Note: The National Center for Health
Statistics, in partnership with Harvard Medical School, conducted a validity study to determine appropriate cut-points for these measures.

Note that this definition is not a
definition of clinical depression, and these self-report data should not be
taken to indicate levels of clinical depression in the population.
Nevertheless, the relative incidence, across subgroups, of clinical depression is
consistent with the research discussed above.

Data Sources

Data for 1998-2011: Original analyses by Child
Trends of the National Health Interview Survey.

1Depressive
symptoms include the following: felt sad, hopeless, worthless, restless, or
that everything was an effort all of the time or most of the time during the past 30 days.2Persons of
Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Source: Original analysis by Child Trends of National
Health Interview Survey data 1998-2011.

1Depressive
symptoms include the following: felt sad, hopeless, worthless, restless, or
that everything was an effort all of the time or most of the time during the past 30 days.2Persons of
Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Source: Original analysis by Child Trends of National
Health Interview Survey data 1998-2011.